October 13 2023
A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that total costs per claim with more than seven days of lost time in Delaware decreased in 2020 and then increased in 2021, based on claims evaluated as of March 2022. The study found that changes in the availability of medical services and economic conditions were the main factors behind the 2020 and 2021 findings. Reforms enacted in 2014 also had an effect on medical…
October 10 2023
In a Workers’ Compensation Research Institute study, patients who initiated PT more than 30 days after injury had worse health outcomes than those who began therapy within three days. Those who initiated PT later were 47% more likely to have an MRI, 46% more likely to be prescribed opioids, 29% more likely to receive injections for pain management, and 89% more likely to have back surgery. Those are a lot of negative consequences!
October 04 2023
A national study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute found that 6% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 suffered long COVID, meaning they sought additional treatment more than a month after the initial infection.
September 29 2023
An August report from the nonprofit Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that care for long COVID can be costly. Many workers who developed long COVID continued receiving medical care a year after their infections. At an average of 18 months of post-infection experience, workers with long COVID received more than 20 weeks of temporary disability benefits and received on average about $29,000 in medical care. This was more than…
September 21 2023
That line, from W.B. Yeats’ great poem, “Easter, 1916”, comes to mind when we look back on what COVID has done to the US workforce in a scant few years. The good folks at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) have cast a critical-statistical eye over the recent COVID-addled period, 2019 to 2022, in their new research report: Changes in the Workforce and Their Impact on Workers’ Compensation Outcomes (free to WCRI…
September 21 2023
For the other news, we turn to a new report from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), Long COVID in the Workers’ Compensation System in 2020 and 2021. The report is detailed because long COVID is not simple.
September 11 2023
Isn’t a problem. In most states. Today. That is the headline takeaway from WCRI’s presentation last week…
September 01 2023
Hamm’s assertion that high-cost topicals are unnecessarily driving up costs is backed by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), which completed a study in December 2021 that found the cost of some topicals for pain management is increasing the cost of workers’ compensation claims dramatically in some states.
August 31 2023
A recent report looked at the prevalence of long COVID and how it is affecting the worker compensation system. The report, by the Cambridge-based Workers Compensation Research Institute, looked at compensation claims between March 2020 and September 2021 and found that 6% of workers who were infected by COVID-19 received treatment for long COVID.
August 21 2023
Six percent of workers who filed workers’ compensation claims for catching COVID-19 between March 2020 and September 2021 have also received care for Long COVID, according to a new report. Of these workers, many of them continued receiving medical care for ongoing symptoms a year after their infections, researchers at the Cambridge-based Workers Compensation Research Institute say, citing work that involved data from 31 states.
August 21 2023
Six percent of workers who filed workers’ compensation claims for catching COVID-19 between March 2020 and September 2021 have also received care for Long COVID, according to a new report.
August 18 2023
WCRI’s report on long COVID’s impact on work comp was release, examining claims with an average of 18 months post-infection…my takeaways include...
August 17 2023
Six percent of workers with compensation claims for COVID-19 developed long COVID, according to a study released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
August 14 2023
The Workers Compensation Research Institute reported earlier this month that the cost of medical care in workers’ comp dipped during the pandemic. Inflation for both work comp treatment and health care in general hasn’t tracked the rate of inflation for the economy as a whole, WCRI said.
August 09 2023
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development recently announced that Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, 2023, benefiting businesses around the state.
August 07 2023
August 04 2023
While fast-rising prices in the past year drove up claim costs for auto and property insurers, inflation has been a more ho-hum affair for the workers’ compensation line and health care in general, according to a new report by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute.
August 04 2023
Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, benefiting businesses around the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
August 03 2023
While consumer prices for energy, food and housing between 2021 and 2022 saw drastic increases, there’s little evidence such inflationary pressures affected workers compensation medical costs, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
August 02 2023
Earlier this year, the Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) served as the backdrop for a comprehensive and illuminating presentation on the evolution of workers' compensation. Presented by Price V. Fishback, a Ph.D. holder from the University of Arizona, the discourse explored the multifaceted journey of workers' compensation from its nascent stages to its present state. Fishback's exposition particularly zeroed in…
August 01 2023
Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, benefiting businesses around the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
July 25 2023
An Alabama firefighter who was shot inside his fire station will be laid to rest today, providing a small measure of closure after what authorities have called a targeted attack that left another fireman critically wounded.
July 25 2023
In March 2023, Dongchun Wang from the Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) presented a study on the extended use of physical medicine for low back pain claims in 28 states across the United States. The study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and severity indicators associated with this type of treatment.
July 20 2023
Tennessee’s workers’ compensation laws are now similar to a number of other states, said Karen Rothkin with the Workers Compensation Research Institute. “23 states plus D.C. and the two federal programs already give remarried spouses about two years of further benefits,” said Rothkin. “Most of them in a lump sum.”
July 12 2023
In May, Ramona Tanabe became president and CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, where she began working in 1996. During her tenure, she has helped the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institute evaluate the workers comp industry by conducting studies on state policies and trends. Business Insurance Assistant Editor Louise Esola interviewed her recently on her work and what’s to come. Edited excerpts follow.
June 09 2023
Cambridge, MA – Indemnity benefits per claim in Massachusetts decreased 7 percent in 2021 following a sizeable increase in the previous year. Duration of temporary disability was a major driver of indemnity trends in both years, according to a recent study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
June 09 2023
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently announced that its 2023 WCRI Annual Report is now available on its website.
June 01 2023
WCRI’s latest research report on hospital costs is a must-read for anyone involved in work comp claims, medical management and actuarial issues. Kudos to Drs Olesya Fomenko and Rebecca Yang for their excellent work.
June 01 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated its reimbursement rates for medical services, and experts are monitoring how the changes may affect workers compensation medical fee schedules and insurance rates.
May 31 2023
The Workers Compensation Research Institute will discuss findings from a recent study about back pain during an hour-long webinar June 22.
May 25 2023
As health care system mergers become more commonplace, workers compensation experts are monitoring how physician consolidations might affect issues such as medical costs, patient access and quality of care.
May 19 2023
One of my favorite people in workers’ comp is now heading up WCRI…I connected with Ramona Tanabe who was named President and CEO. making her the third leader of this august institution.
May 19 2023
States that don’t have workers compensation medical fee schedules for professional services tend to have much higher prices compared with states that have fee schedules, according to updated findings by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
May 18 2023
A recent study, "Long COVID in the Workers' Compensation System Early in the Pandemic" from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) examined the prevalence of long COVID among injured workers early in the pandemic by studying the COVID-19 workers' compensation claims that occurred between March 2020 and September 2020.
May 18 2023
Recent changes in the duration of temporary disability in Texas could reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic conditions, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
May 12 2023
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently announced that it will be hosting a 30-minute webinar on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 2 p.m. ET on its study Designing Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedules, 2022.
May 11 2023
Ramona Tanabe assumed the role of WCRI’s CEO in May 2023. She shares her thoughts, her goals and career wins that have led her to this position.
May 10 2023
A national labor shortage has created ideal conditions for skilled workers to negotiate for better pay and more flexible work schedules, but also new challenges for employers: Staff members aren’t eager to return to the office; job applicants are demanding higher wages; and mental health has deteriorated for many, in some cases transforming star employees into personnel problems.
May 09 2023
Cambridge, MA – The average total cost per claim in Illinois changed little between 2019 and 2021 for injuries evaluated as of the first quarter of 2022, according to a recent study published by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
May 02 2023
The utilization of nonhospital and hospital outpatient services in the Illinois workers compensation system decreased in 2020, the drop attributed to medical facility closures and service limitations during the beginning of the pandemic, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
April 19 2023
Medical providers who treat injured employees in Massachusetts are paid by workers’ comp carriers according to rates established by the state. Those rates, which can be negotiated, haven’t been updated since 2009, and in many cases, providers’ payments from workers’ comp insurance are less than those from Medicare, which are notoriously low. Overall, workers’ comp rates in Massachusetts are 5 percent below state…
April 17 2023
Nearly a third of injured workers in Massachusetts sought treatment for strains and sprains in a hospital emergency room, while in California and Nevada only 10% did, according to a study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute.
April 03 2023
Consolidation of physician services into larger groups owned by hospitals and health care systems is driving up the cost of care in workers’ compensation, according to a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
March 23 2023
The insurance line of workers’ compensation is described as a “long tail,” since the costs often occur years after the date of loss. Interestingly, the costs associated with “long COVID” are also higher and last longer than a COVID-19 claim with no or minimal initial medical care.
March 23 2023
The closing session of the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s 39th annual Issues & Research Conference on Wednesday highlighted the event's theme of “Disruption, Resilience and Evolution” by focusing on the real-world issues of remote and hybrid work environments.
March 23 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a variety of workplace disruptions, from forcing employers to build an infrastructure supportive of remote work to figuring out how to deal with hybrid or remote workers experiencing mental health crises, a panel of experts said Wednesday.
March 23 2023
Nearly a third of injured workers in Massachusetts sought treatment for strains and sprains in a hospital emergency room, while in California and Nevada only 10% did, according to a study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute.
March 22 2023
Workers’ compensation medical inflation has largely been driven by increases in reimbursements for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, according to economist Olesya Fomenko, who spoke about inflation trends during the Workers Compensation Research Institute 39th annual Issues & Research Conference Tuesday
March 22 2023
Even former deniers acknowledge that climate change is impacting claim costs, preparation and handling, according to an interesting dialogue Carol Tele moderated with Jill Leonard of Louisiana and Jeff Rush from California during the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s 39th annual Issues & Research Conference.
March 22 2023
and for the first time in forever I’m not there…apologies to my friends at WCRI; a Board meeting conflicted with this year’s annual meeting.
March 22 2023
Climate change has hit states’ workers compensation systems, as more severe weather patterns, wildfires and other incidents have resulted in lost worker hours and had detrimental effects on mental health, among other things, a panel of experts said.
March 22 2023
One of the big lessons from this labor shortage is the importance of planning ahead. Airline pilots have a mandatory retirement age, and many also retired early after the pandemic. If you are not coming out of the military as a pilot, it takes three years of training to become a commercial pilot. The training is expensive, which limits the pool of candidates significantly. United has started a flight school and is working with others to…
March 22 2023
Low back pain is one of the most common workplace injuries. Most cases can be resolved through physical medicine. Treatment guidelines call for two to three visits a week for four to six weeks and then an evaluation to determine if more therapy is needed.
March 21 2023
At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, internationally recognized MIT Economist David Autor opened the event talking about globalization and automation and their impact on jobs, the nature of work, and state workers’ compensation systems.
March 21 2023
At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, Dr. Olesya Formenko from WCRI talked about how medical inflation impacts workers’ compensation.
March 21 2023
At the 2023 WCRI Annual conference, Jill Leonard from Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation (LWCC) and Jeff Rush from California JPIA discussed the impact that severe weather events have on workers compensation.
March 21 2023
At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, Dongchun Wang from WCRI presented a study on the extended use of physical medicine (PM) to treat low back pain.
March 02 2023
The Georgia House of Representatives voted this week to raise the maximum workers’ compensation benefit amounts and to increase the maximum payout to dependent spouses. House Bill 480, sponsored by Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, and others, was approved by a vote of 154-15 this week. It now goes to the state Senate.
March 02 2023
Medical inflation is a top concern in workers compensation this year and adjusting medical fee schedules may be one way to address rising costs, although the appetite for change is limited, comp experts say. While some states have introduced legislation to overhaul their schedules, variations in costs among states illustrate the complexity of the issue, they say.
March 02 2023
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, 7% of people who submitted workers’ compensation claims for the disease developed long COVID, according to a recent study. Experts from the Workers Compensation Research Institute analyzed data on COVID-19 cases diagnosed March 2020 through September 2020 – before the emergence of delta, omicron and other variants of the virus. That analysis included payments for medical care or indemnity benefits…
March 02 2023
The Georgia House of Representatives voted this week to raise the maximum workers’ compensation benefit amounts and to increase the maximum payout to dependent spouses. House Bill 480, sponsored by Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, and others, was approved by a vote of 154-15 this week. It now goes to the state Senate.
February 15 2023
Work comp payers actually care about the patients recovery, return to functionality, ability, and productivity. Work comp HAS to…screwing up recovery = huge financial penalties in the form of claims that last forever, really costly settlements, and migraine-level headaches for all involved.
February 15 2023
Injured workers with low back pain whose injuries are covered by workers' compensation reported the lowest improvement in function following physical therapy compared to patients covered by all other payment systems, according to study released Tuesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
February 14 2023
Injured workers with low back pain whose injuries are covered by workers compensation insurers and employers reported the lowest improvements in function following physical therapy than patients covered by all other payment systems, according to study released Tuesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
February 10 2023
A report released this month by New York State Insurance Fund found that 31% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 continued medical treatment or took time off work more than 60 days after the initial infection.
February 08 2023
Workers compensation claims involving long COVID may rise this year, though cost projections are hard to come by, experts say.
February 01 2023
Injuries to body parts that are caused by repetitive motion, frequent exposure to sounds, chemicals or even vibrations are among the most perplexing in the workers compensation sector.
January 31 2023
A new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found 7% of workers with COVID-19 claims received treatment for long COVID.
January 26 2023
A small percentage of employees with COVID-19 workers compensation claims during the early days of the pandemic received additional medical care in the months after their diagnosis due to long COVID, according to a study.
January 24 2023
There’s a saying that goes, “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be too late.” You may see this as a hyperbole in many situations, but in the case of physical therapy, we might find that there is wisdom in the famous expression. There’s no debate on physical therapy’s benefit to recovery for various musculoskeletal conditions.
January 11 2023
Delaware ranks a dismal third in one measure of health care spending. NiceRx have revealed the US states paying the most for healthcare, as well as the states where residents are paying the most for prescription medication and the most costly injuries and illnesses.
December 21 2022
There was substantial variation across states in the rates of emergency department (ED) use among workers seeking care for new injuries between 2019 and 2021, according to a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
December 20 2022
Emergency room visits by injured workers showed “substantial variation” across 28 states, even for the same injuries, calling into question whether some state programs push the more expensive care at the onset of an injury regardless of medical necessity, according to a report released Monday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
December 15 2022
Every year J&L provides resolutions for regular voluntary market policies and self insureds. During a recent phone call, blog and newsletter reader asked if I could do an article on workers comp large deductible programs for 2023.
December 05 2022
Medical payments per claim decreased in Indiana for 2020 injuries with experience through March 2021 after growing in 2019, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). This fluctuation in medical payments, in part, reflects factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 23 2022
The Workers Compensation Research Institute will host a free 30-minute webinar on Dec. 15 to discuss its recent study, “A Primer on Behavioral Health Care in Workers’ Compensation.”
November 17 2022
Medical payments per claim decreased in Indiana for 2020 injuries with experience through March 2021 after growing in 2019, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). This fluctuation in medical payments, in part, reflects factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 16 2022
Workers returning to work after an injury can face various obstacles depending on the nature of their injury and the job, their available benefits and rehabilitation needs, even transportation challenges.
October 21 2022
During the height of the pandemic, New York workers’ compensation indemnity payments increased while medical payments decreased.
October 19 2022
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) will host a free 30-minute webinar on Nov. 17, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET on its study Trends in the Delaware Workers' Compensation System, 2015–2020.
October 14 2022
Medical payments per claim decreased 5 percent in Florida for 2020 injuries with experience through March 2021, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). This likely reflects factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the earlier period from 2015 to 2019, medical payments per claim grew 4–5 percent per year.
October 13 2022
Once more, the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) hits the bullseye. Their new report on pharmacy costs inside workers’ comp (webinar on 29 September at 2 PM EDT) takes an in-depth look at drug cost trends in some 28 states. Overall, the news is good to very good, but, comp being comp, there are a few exceptions:
October 13 2022
The Workers Compensation Research Institute opened registration for its 39th annual Issues & Research Conference, being held March 21-22 in Phoenix.
October 06 2022
WCRI’s webinar on interstate variations in drug payments reminds us that lax regulations and absent legislators cost taxpayers and employers millions.
October 06 2022
Medical payments per claim decreased more than 3% in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 in half of the states studied by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute.
October 01 2022
Eight years ago, I wrote in these pages about an epidemic of prescription drug abuse and how doctors, hospitals, insurers, and regulators were responding. I focused on workers’ compensation insurance because that is what I know best.
September 26 2022
An electrician sustains a head injury on the job. He signs a mediation agreement absolving the employer of any workers’ compensation liability while he pursues a tort action against the warehouse owner.
September 19 2022
A recent Travelers report found that 35% of work injuries occur within someone’s first year on the job, regardless of age or industry experience. In order to work to prevent this, a recent WCRI study shared that injured workers treated with chiropractic care first are less likely to need additional treatment, including prescription drugs or diagnostic testing. The same study found that treating exclusively with chiropractic care is…
September 19 2022
A recent Travelers report found that 35% of work injuries occur within someone’s first year on the job, regardless of age or industry experience. In order to work to prevent this, a recent WCRI study shared that injured workers treated with chiropractic care first are less likely to need additional treatment, including prescription drugs or diagnostic testing. The same study found that treating exclusively with chiropractic care is…
September 16 2022
A Delaware workers’ compensation law passed in 2014 has succeeded in lowering workers’ compensation medical claim costs, new research shows.
September 15 2022
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute on Wednesday said average medical payments per claim fell about 33% from 2014 to 2017, satisfying the main goal of House Bill 373.
September 14 2022
Average medical payments per claim in Delaware fell by about 33% between 2014 and 2017 because of legislative changes to the state’s medical reimbursement system, the Workers Compensation Research Institute said Wednesday.
September 12 2022
Workers’ Compensation is primarily designed to provide two benefits: payroll replacement for injured workers and medical payments to providers. But over the years, the process has become increasingly complicated.
September 08 2022
Early screening for psychosocial risk factors may aid in a worker’s recovery from an on-the-job injury, a new white paper from the Workers Compensation Research Institute suggests.
September 06 2022
There’s been a lot of news around work comp pharmacy of late – time to dive into what’s happening, why, and the implications thereof.
August 31 2022
The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation appears to be intent on pushing the ball across the goal line on a long-awaited revision to hospital reimbursement rules, despite concern from insurers that some rates are still out of bounds.
August 30 2022
Psychosocial factors are strong predictors of delayed recovery and other adverse outcomes in patients with work-related injuries.
August 17 2022
As concerns about behavioral health problems increased in recent years, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) heard through system stakeholder interviews that early screening for psychosocial risk factors is important to prevent delayed recovery.
August 12 2022
Tradespeople who call themselves and their workers “independent contractors” have long been an issue for the workers’ compensation industry, often cutting carriers out of premium and leaving injured workers without coverage.
August 09 2022
Two years since the onset of the pandemic, nationwide COVID-19 cases persist and, as of this writing, are entering yet another wave. Carriers have been challenged to quickly become adept at segmenting COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 claims while also managing COVID-19 claims from an operations perspective.
